The most important sights of Santorini

Santorini has many unique sights for its visitors. Find out which ones you shouldn’t miss during your visit to this gorgeous Greek island.

Five unmissable sights in Santorini

Santorini is known all over the world for its beauty and unique landscapes. It is by far one of the most famous and the most photographed tourist destinations in Greece and the planet in general.

So, what is there to see apart from the wonderful sunsets and the beautiful white houses perched on the volcano’s caldera? As it turns out there’s quite a lot. Thanks to its geographical position, climate and landscape, Santorini has a very long history, and it has been an important settlement for many years.

As a result, apart from the natural sights, there are also many archaeological monuments that you can visit on the island. Let’s see the sights that you should definitely not miss during your visit here.

The volcano

As you may already know, Santorini’s uniqueness is due to the fact that the island was ravaged by a volcanic eruption during prehistoric times. The eruption formed the island’s caldera and caused the downfall of the Minoan civilization, and is also considered to be the “inspiration” for the seven plagues of Egypt.

Nowadays, you can visit the volcano’s remains which are located on the island called Nea Kameni, which was formed after the eruption and is located on top of the crater of the still active, yet dormant, volcano. Nea Kameni is one of Europe’s most important geological parks.

The ancient city of Akrotiri

When it comes to archaeological sights, the ancient city of Akrotiri is one of the most important not only in Greece, but in the world. The city of Akrotiri is a prehistoric settlement that was buried under volcanic ash and poultice during the huge volcanic eruption.

As a result, the settlement was preserved very well, providing archaeologists and visitors with a very vivid glimpse into the past. The city of Akrotiri was extremely advanced, and it features two-storey houses, indoor plumbing – something that most European cities didn’t get until the Renaissance- and gorgeous frescoes and murals.

Unique beaches

Santorini is famous for its unique beaches many if which have unique characteristics thanks to the island’s rather turbulent geological history. In Santorini you will find very beautiful beaches such as the red beach which derives its name from the red rocks that surround it, and Vlychada which resembles a lunar landscape.

Most of the island’s other beaches, including Perissa, a town that is very popular with visitors, feature black sand again due to the volcanic eruption that happened thousands of years ago. The beaches are spread all over the island so the best way to visit them is by car.

Santorini Car Rentalis definitely the right choice for those who want to be able to drive to all of the island’s many sights.

The vineyards and wineries

You may not know it, but Santorini is famous for its wines. The volcanic ash and pultice that has been covering its ground for thousands of years gives the wines produced here a rather unique flavor.

In fact, some wine types, such as Nychteri and Vinsanto can only be produced here. The island is full of wineries and vineyards most of which are open to the public, the most famous and popular of which is Santo Wines run by the island’s wine producers association.

During your visit to the wineries you can learn about the wine production process and you can even get to do some wine tasting to experience the unique wines that Santorini has to offer.

The prehistoric museum

Santorini’s prehistoric museum is located in Fira, the island’s capital, and it is definitely one of the most important of its kind in the world. Here one can see many artifacts discovered during the excavations at the city of Akrotiri as well as many of the unique frescoes that were found perfectly preserved inside the prehistoric city’s houses.